Reply by teejk

Charles…EMT is an acceptable ground on its own so the $$$ you pay for the material gets offset somewhat by losing the ground wire, plus you can use single strand wires rather than Romex. I ran 3/4” all around my shop using 4” sq boxes…2 separate 120v circuits in each box plus wiring for 240v. I hated to cut the stuff because it leaves a burr that can cut your wire insulation as you pull it, so other than bends to turn a corner or sneak under a window, they are 10’ apart. I like the fact that the boxes are exposed so if I ever wanted to add to anything it would be pretty easy. And I think the exposed EMT looks kind of nice (2 man job though with 10’ sticks to keep it level for a professional look).

As for your walls, my experience is that drywall is cheaper up front but shops are shops…it doesn’t take long before you become a drywall patching expert (and with time you become a pro at patching drywall patches). Whatever you do, buy a few gallons of brilliant high gloss white paint before you hang anything on it. The difference in lighting is amazing.